Escambia County Judge Retiring
January 3, 2014
Escambia County Judge Thomas E. Johnson has tendered his resignation from office for retirement to be effective Monday, March 31, 2014.
Johnson graduated from the University of West Florida with a degree in accounting and then went on to receive his Juris Doctorate at Florida State University. He was elected to the county bench in 1988 and has served the citizens of Escambia County as a county judge for 25 years following approximately 16 years in private practice.
The judicial nominating process will begin in the near future, at the conclusion of which Governor Scott will appoint a new judge to the bench.
Hwy 29/I-10 Interchange Construction Project To Begin Next Week
January 3, 2014
Construction will begin next week on a $2.5 million resurfacing project on I-10 from west of Highway 29 to east of Palafox Street in Escambia County.
The project also includes the milling and resurfacing of all ramps and ramp shoulders associated with the U.S. 29/I-10 interchange, shoulder widening, guardrail upgrades, crash cushion replacement, removal of portable traffic monitoring sites (PTMS), installation of new signs, pavement markings, and sodding. The entire project is slated for completion summer 2014.
During construction drivers will encounter overnight lane restrictions on both I-10 and the U.S. 29/ I-10 interchange. Lane closures on I-10 and intermittent closures or restrictions on the interchange will be limited to 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
All planned construction activities are weather dependent and may be rescheduled in the event of inclement weather.
Hate Crimes Up Across Florida; Eight Reported In Escambia County
January 3, 2014
Florida saw a 22.3 percent increase in reported hate crimes in 2012 from the prior year, according to a report released by Attorney General Pam Bondi’s office. Of the 170 hate crimes reported in Florida in 2012, eight were in Escambia County.
Four of Escambia County’s hate crimes were reported by the Pensacola Police Department, three by the University of West Florida Police Department and one by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
Pensacola Police reported three aggravated assaults related to face and one related to sexual orientation. Two UWF incidents were vandalisms related to race and one intimidation complaint related to sexual orientation. The single complaint to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office was a simple assault related to race.
Statewide Data
Racially-motivated crimes comprised the majority of the 170 hate crimes reported in 2012 by local law enforcement agencies providing data to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The 170 reported hate crimes were the most in a single year since 2008, when there were 182. Crimes motivated by race and skin color represented 54.1 percent of the reported cases.
Other factors were: sexual orientation, which accounted for 28.8 percent; religion, 10 percent; ethnicity and national origin, 6.5 percent; and mental disability, 0.6 percent. The data does not include hate crimes committed against the homeless, which is not part of the Uniform Crime Reporting system used to compile the report. Hate crimes were reported in 30 Florida counties in 2012, down from 31 the previous year. Orange County accounted for 32 reported hate crimes in 2012, the most for any county, and up from 26 a year earlier. Brevard County had the second most with 15, up from six the prior year.
While the report lists the reason each crime was listed as a hate crime, it does not speculate on what caused the overall increase in hate crimes from year to year.
20’s Tonight, Season’s Coldest Weather Next Week
January 3, 2014
It’s going to be cold today, with the high struggling to reach the middle 40’s before dropping to 25 tonight. And by next week, we are expecting lows around 21.
- Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 24. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
- Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 55. Wind chill values between 20 and 30 early. East wind 5 to 10 mph.
- Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 44. East wind 5 to 10 mph.
- Sunday: A slight chance of showers before noon, then a chance of rain after noon. Cloudy, with a high near 67. East wind 5 to 10 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
- Sunday Night: Rain likely, mainly before midnight. Cloudy, with a low around 24. Blustery, with a southwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming northwest 15 to 20 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
- Monday: Sunny, with a high near 36. Breezy, with a north wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.
- Monday Night: Clear, with a low around 16. North wind around 10 mph.
- Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 38. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph.
- Tuesday Night: Clear, with a low around 17. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming northeast after midnight.
- Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 51.
- Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 32.
- Thursday: A 20 percent chance of rain. Partly sunny, with a high near 63.
- Thursday Night: A 20 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 45.
- Friday: A 20 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 65.
2013 In Photos: July
January 3, 2014
All this week, we are looking back at the photos that were in the news in 2013. Today, we are featuring photos from July.
A Nokomis woman was attacked and mauled by two pit bulls.
North Escambia firefighters practice using the Jaws of Life.
Fire destroyed this pickup on Highway 4 in Walnut Hill.
Molino’s Caleb Gindl made history in July for the Milwaukee Brewers as he became the first in franchise history to hit a walk-off for his first MLB homer.
Two pit bulls attacked a road crew and were later shot and killed by an Escambia County deputy in the Grand Oaks Subdivision in Cantonment near Tate High School.
An educator from Iraq spent time learning about farming in Walnut Hill.
Dozens of local children took part in a musical camp at Highland Baptist Church.
A Walnut Hill farmer fertilizes cotton.
A minister at his post in the chapel of the Century Correctional Institution.
Hail from a summer thunderstorm.
The Pensacola Beach Airshow went on without the Blue Angels.
Community members, seen here reflected in a security mirror, toured the Century Correctional Institution.
Flash flooding at Highway 29 and Highway 97.
Chloe Channel wowed audiences on America’s Got Talent.
Atmore fireworks.
Century fireworks.
Shawn Oneal “Cooler” Whatley
January 3, 2014
Shawn Oneal “Cooler” Whatley, 34, of Perdido, passed away Wednesday, December 18, 2013, in Bay Minette. He was a roofer employed by Parker Roofing Co. He was born in Fairhope on November 19, 1979, to Stanley and Marie Whatley Lowery.
He is preceded in death by his father, Stanley Lowery.
Survivors include his wife, Briggett “Nikki” Robinson Whatley of Bay Minette; two sons, Taylor Whatley and Tyler Whatley; three daughters, BrittanyWhatley, Coutney Whatley and Ava Whatley all of Perdido; mother, Marie “Riddie” (Thomas) Hancock of Perdido; and one sister, Crystal (Jonathan) Rider of Stapleton.
Services were held Friday, January 03, 2014, at 2 p.m. from Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home Chapel with Sis. Helen Stewart officiating.
Interment will follow in White Cemetery in Perdido.
Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home, Inc is in charge of all arrangements.
Ersel Lee Booker
January 3, 2014
Ersel Lee Booker, 65 of Atmore, passed away Thursday, January 02, 2014, at her residence. She was a homemaker, born in Atmore, on April 25, 1948, to the late John D. and Trudy Pauline McKinley Raines.
She is preceded in death by a daughter, Diane Bohannan.
Survivors include three sons, Chuck Booker, Jerry Campbell and John L. Johnson; one brother, Bufford John Raines; four sisters, Wendy Voss, Peggy Bohannan, JoAnn Kramer and Vivian Hoyle.
Graveside services will be Saturday, January 04, 2014, at 10 a.m. from Oak Hill Cemetery with Rev. Mike Grindle officiating.
Interment will follow in Oak Hill Cemetery.
Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home, Inc is in charge of all arrangements.
Falling Rain, Then Falling Temps
January 2, 2014
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Thursday: Rain, mainly before noon. Temperature rising to near 58 by 11am, then falling to around 48 during the remainder of the day. Breezy, with a light and variable wind becoming northwest 15 to 20 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.
- Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 29. Wind chill values between 15 and 25. Northwest wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
- Friday: Sunny, with a high near 46. Wind chill values between 15 and 25 early. North wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
- Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 26. North wind around 5 mph becoming northeast after midnight.
- Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 57. East wind 5 to 10 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon.
- Saturday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 46. Southeast wind around 5 mph.
- Sunday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 64. East wind 5 to 10 mph becoming west in the afternoon.
- Sunday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 38. North wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
- Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 48.
- Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 26.
- Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 45.
- Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 25.
- Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 50.
A New Year, A Higher Power Bill For Gulf Power Customers
January 2, 2014
A new year means a rate increase for Gulf Power customers to help pay for the largest power grid construction program in the history of the company.
The average residential bill for 1,000 killowatt hours of electricity is expected to jump $4.06 from $127.94 to $132. In addition, in January 2015, the price will increase an additional $2.42 per 1,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity. Originally, Gulf Power filed a request that would have increased the cost for a residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity $10.93 per month by the end of 2015.
Starting last year and continuing over the next three years, the company is building and replacing power lines and infrastructure — some more than 70 years old — to keep electricity flowing to its 430,000 customers. In addition, new lines and equipment are needed to comply with new mandatory federal environmental regulations. The formal request was filed in July, and a settlement with the Public Service Commission was reached in December.
The hike allows Gulf Power to increase its revenue through base rates by $35 million in January, with another $20 million boost in 2015.
The money will be used to pay for 15 transmission projects, both new and upgrades, Stone said. The work is considered the largest ever to be undertaken by the investor-owned utility, said attorney Jeff Stone, representing Gulf Power.
Another significant part of this settlement includes new job creation incentives. These incentives will reduce the amount the business pays for electricity by a certain percentage for four years if the business meets certain eligibility requirements.
Examples of the planned Gulf Power infrastructure investments include:
- Substations are being added and improved to continue to provide reliable service to our customers. In Pensacola, a substation on Devilliers Street has been rebuilt. On Allison Avenue in Panama City, a new substation has been built.
- Seventy miles of 70-year-old transmission line is being rebuilt from Panama City to Holmes County.
- An existing transmission line between Highland City and Holmes Creek substations in the Panama City area is being upgraded to maintain reliability for our customers.
- A new 38-mile line is being added that begins in the Pensacola area and goes to the Florida-Alabama state line. This project is necessary for mandatory federal environmental compliance.
Originally, the utility had sought to increase base rates by $74.4 million, along with the potential for a further $16.4 million in 2015. Those increases would have pushed the typical monthly bill to $138.87 by the end of 2015.
Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Fire Destroys Storage Shed
January 2, 2014
Fire destroyed a small storage shed in Bratt Wednesday night.
The 150 square foot detached shed on Hanks Road just off North Highway 99 was fully involved when firefighters arrived. The fire was quickly extinguished without being a threat to any other structures. There were no injuries reported.
The Walnut Hill and Century stations of Escambia Fire Rescue and the Atmore Fire Department were dispatched to the fire.